Amusement device

ABSTRACT

A BALL AMUSEMENT DEVICE INCLUDING A DECLINED CHUTE OVERLYING A BASE AND HAVING A DISCHARGE END GUARDED BY A PIVOTED CATCH THAT PERMITS ONLY ONE BY ONE GRAVITATIONAL DISCHARGING OF BALLS LOADED IN THE CHUTE AND A BALL TRANSFER LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS FOR FREE VERTICAL SWINGING MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE BASE AND THE CHUTE WITH THE LEVER HAVING A BALL RECEIVER ON ONE END AND A COUNTER-WEIGHT ON ITS OTHER END AND BEING MOVED BY THE COUNTER-WEIGHT TO A POSITION WHEREIN THE RECEIVER STRIKES THE CATCH TO EFFECT RELEASE AND TRANSFER OF ONE BALL FROM THE CHUTE INTO THE RECEIVER WITH THE THUSLY WEIGHTED RECEIVER MOVING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE BASE AND HAVING A SLIDABLE DISCHARGE PLUNGER THAT, UPON STRIKING THE BASE, EJECTS THE BALL THEREFROM, THE LEVER OPERATING IN CONTINUOUS SEESAW MOVEMENT TO TRANSFER THE BALLS FROM THE CHUTE TO THE BASE WITH THE BALLS COLLECTING IN A COLLECTION TRAY MOUNTED ON ONE END OF THE BASE UNDER AN INPUT HOPPER END OF THE OVERHEAD CHUTE.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Jan. 24, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ALVIN L.SHOOK BY MW MQA: 2 @MW ATTORNEYS March 16, 1971 A. L. SHOOK AMUSEMENTDEVICE Filed Jan. 24, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet I ATTORNEYS II 6 E No.

ALVIN L. SHOCK March 16, 1971 A. L. sHooK AMUSEMENT DEVICE 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 24, 1969 ALVIN L. SHOCK ,UQWQL M913) ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent O 3,570,171 AMUSEMENT DEVICE Alvin L. Shook, 301 S.Pearl, Salem, 1!]. 62881 Filed Jan. 24, 1969, Ser. No. 793,753

Int. Cl. A63h 29/08 U.S. Cl. 4642 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Aball amusement device including a declined chute overlying a base andhaving a discharge end guarded by a pivoted catch that permits only oneby one gravitational discharging of balls loaded in the chute and a balltransfer lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends for free verticalswinging movement between the base and the chute with the lever having aball receiver on one end and a counter-weight on its other end and beingmoved by the counter-weight to a position wherein the receiver strikesthe catch to effect release and transfer of one ball from the chute intothe receiver with the thusly weighted receiver moving downwardly towardthe base and having a slidable discharge plunger that, upon striking thebase, ejects the ball therefrom, the lever operating in continuousseesaw movement to transfer the balls from the chute to the base withthe balls collecting in a collection tray mounted on one end of the baseunder an input hopper end of the overhead chute.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention The presentinvention relates generally to new and novel improvements in amusementdevices and, more specifically, is directed to new and novelimprovements in amusement, educational and entertainment devices of thespherical ball type.

' ('2) Description of the prior art The state of this art is well knownand is exemplified by many patents and publications relating to balltype amusement and educational devices, wherein balls gravitate from aninclined chute onto an underlying base member of some sort by means of aconnection arrange ment of a gravational ramp-like nature between thelower discharge end of the chute and the base member.

The instant invention basically relates to novel improvements in suchgeneral type of amusement devices with such improvements primarilyresiding in the manner of effecting a orderly, entertaining andeducationally worthwhile transfer in one by one continuous fashion ofthe ball elements from an overhead chute to an underlying base member.The transfer is effected in a way that is not only amusing to watch butin a way that is educational in that the mechanics of the transferringball enable an amused watcher, regardless of age, to develop anarithmetic sense of counting and values. Further, more in-depthexploratative analysis and deliberative watching of themechanics-in-action of the device will serve to develop in the onlookera keener appreciation of the principles of physics which are involved ineffecting the transfer of ball elements from the overhead chute onto theunderlying base. i

Consequently, the present invention improves upon the state of the art,with respect to ball amusement and educational devices of this generalnature, in that it provides a very novel mechanical means for effectingthe one by one orderly and continuous transfer of the ball or similarelements from the discharge lower end of an overhead chute onto anunderlying base member.

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention employs as a basicsttructural setting a base having a track-way on which ball elements cantravel as they are discharged from the lower discharge end of a chutethat overlies the base and is disposed in an inclined vertically spacedposition relative to the base. The orderly transfer in one by onecontinuous fashion of the ball elements from the chute to the base trackis effected by virtue of a catch member that is pivotally carried by thedischarge end of the chute and restrains the ball elements so as toprevent the free gravitational discharge thereof and controls thedischarge movement of the ball elements so as to discharge the ballelements in one by one consecutive and orderly fashion. The discharge iseffected or carried out by virtue of a lever which is pivotedintermediate its ends to the vertical supporting structure, whichfixedly supports the chute above the upper surface of the base, with thelever having a pocket provided ball receiver on one end and carrying anadjustable counter-weight on its other end. The adjustablecounter-weight effects the initial impact or" the catch by the receiverso as to cause the catch to pivot from a locking position in relation tothe line of engaging ball elements in the chute into a position whereina pocket in the catch receives and holds one of the ball elements withthe catch restraining the other ball elements from further movement. Thereceiver is again brought into engagement with the catch so as to swingthe catch about its pivot into a further position wherein the capturedball element is discharged by the catch into the pocket of the ballreceiver on the end of the lever. The ball in the receiver offsets thecounter-Weight and causes the thusly weighted end of the lever to movedownwardly toward the upper surface of the base. As the receiverapproaches the upper surface of the base, a slidable ejector rod, whichis carried by the receiver pocket and which terminates inwardly of thereceiver pocket in a false bottom for the receiver pocket, is broughtagainst a striker plate so that the rod with the supported false bottomis moved upwardly within the receiver pocket, thereby causing the ballelement to be forcibly ejected from the receiver pocket before thereceiver pocket reaches a position where -it can come into contact withthe upper surface of the base. The ejected ball elements is dislodgedagainst an adjustably inclined end of the base that gives it an impetusto travel in a longitudinal trackway in the base and ultimately arrivein a collection tray that is adjustably carried by the opposite end ofthe base and which underlies an inlet hopper end of the overhead chute.

The release of the ball element from the receiver pocket lightens thereceiver pocket and the counter-Weight and is then effective to causethe receiver end to move upwardly back into an impacting positionrelative to the catch.

The lever will continue, in an automatic fashion, to move about itsfulcrum in a seesaw manner and in so doing automatically empty the chuteand transfer the ball elements from the chute to the base in one by one,consecutive and orderly fashion. Such movement of the lever is not onlyfascinating and entrancing to watch but also has enormous educationalvalue in that it is conducive to teaching various simple principles ofphysics such as machine principles of moments and work, leverageprinciples, principles of motion and the like. Further, in a basiceducational fashion, the lever, as it transfers the ball elements fromthe overhead chute to the base member, can be utilized as a counter soas to enable a small child to learn to count.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to providean entertaining and educationally worthwhile mechanical arrangement foreffecting an 3 automatic, orderly and one by one consecutive transfer ofball elements from an overhead chute to an underlying base member.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a verysimple, sturdy and most efficient amusement device, which is built towithstand considerable wear and strain and which is built so as toeffect without any outside power source an automatic machine transfer ofball elements from the overhead chute to the underlying base member in avery captivating and mind-training manner.

Ancillary to the foregoing objects and commensurate therewith, furtherobjects of the present invention are to provide novel but simplemechanical arrangemnets for retaining the ball elements in the chute andfor releasing them in one by one fashion into the receiver pocket of thelever and for pivotally arranging the lever and so constructing andmounting it that it automatically functions in a seesaw manner and toprovide means for ejecting the ball elements from the receiver pocket ofthe lever as the receiver pocket approaches the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of theball amusement device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, taken substantially online 2-2 of FIG. 1 and with parts of the device being shown in sideelevation and the receiver pocket being shown in striking engagement ofthe catch on the discharge end of the chute, such position being thatwhich the lever would assume in initiating the operation of theamusement device.

FIG. 3 is a transverse, vertical cross-sectional view, takensubstantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the catch element per se, which ispivotally disposed at the discharge end of the chute so as to guard thedischarge end and restrain the ball elements from free gravitationalmovement from the chute and to transfer them in orderly one by oneconsecutive fashion from the chute into the pocket of the receiver onthe end of the lever.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are diagrammatic illustrations of the operation of thetransfer arrangement including the pivoted catch and the lever assemblyand illustrate diagrammatically how the ball elements are transferred inone by one orderly and consecutive fashion from the overhead chute tothe underlying base, with the lever operating in automatic andcontinuous seesaw fashion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularlyto the accompanying drawings, the amusement device, generally desigatedby the reference numeral 10, includes a base 12 which can be formed inknown ways from suitable materials, such as being molded in one piecefrom plastics. The base 12, as shown particularly in FIG. 3, has a flatbottom 14 and is formed with a central, longitudinally extending trough16 which defines a return runway for spherical ball elements 18, whichmay be of any type or nature, such as conventional marbles.

The ball elements 18 are housed in a single selfengaging line fashionwithin a chute assembly 20 that is positioned above the upper surface ofthe base 12. The chute assembly 20 includes a U-shaped supporting trough22 which is supported in a declined plane relative to the horizontallypositioned base 12 by forward and rearward pairs of bipod arranged legs24 and 26. The spaced divergently related lower ends 28 of the legs aresocketed in suitable socket openings 30 provided in the upper surface ofthe base and the convergent upper ends 32 of the legs are socketed insuitable sockets provided in the lower portion of the trough 22. Therearward pair 26 of legs is higher than the forward pair 24 so that thetrough is supported in a declined plane.

A cylindrical tube 34, in which the spherical ball elements 18 aredirectly housed, is cradled in the trough and held therein by virtue ofU-shaped clamping straps or brackets 36. The tube 34 has a rearwardupper end portion 38 which terminates in a vertically disposedfrusto-conical inlet hopper '40 into which the ball elements :18 aremanually deposited either in one by one fashion or collectively and fromwhich the ball elements roll into the chute tube 34 Where they areoriented in engaging alignment, as shown particularly in FIG. 5A.

The lower discharge end 42 of the tube 34 terminates inwardly of theextending end portion 44 of the trough, such end portion being definedby projecting axial extensions or ear-like projections 46 of the sidewalls of the trough which ear-like projections 46 are provided withtransversely aligned apertures 48. A reenforcing web 50 upstands fromthe projections 46 and has its bight portion disposed above the outletor discharge opening 42 of the tube, so that the projections 4'6, whichare bent slightly outwardly from the planes of the side walls, and theweb portion 50 do not interfer with or impede the gravitational movementof the ball elements from the discharge end 42 of the chute tube 34.

A catch member 52 is provided for the purpose of restraining the ballelements and then discharging the ball elements in one by one,consecutive, orderly and automatic fashion as illustrated in FIGS. 5A toSC. The catch member 52 is of tongue-like configuration and includes abody portion 54 which is disposed between the ear-like projections 46and pivoted therebetween for free rotational movement on a pivot pin 56fitted in the apertures 48. The body portion 54 has a head portion 58 onone side of the pivot 56 and a long arcuate tail portion 60 on the otherside of the pivot. The head portion is formed with a slightly curvedouter surface 62 that meets at a sharp edge 64 with an inner arcuatesurface 66, the latter defining a pocket for reception of the ballelements, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C. The tail portion 60 projects fromthe body portion and is struck on a wide arc and terminates in a freepointed extremity 60a.

The catch member is controlled by a lever transfer mechanism 68, whichis pivotally carried by the rearward pair of uprights or support legs26, and which adapted to swing vertically between the chute assembly andthe underlying base in effecting a transfer of the ball elements in oneby one and orderly fashion from the upper level in which the chutearrangement is disposed to the lower surface level of the base.

The lever mechanism 68 includes a long lever 70 which is provided withopposing end portions 72 and 74 and which is provided adjacent the endportion 72 and intermediate the same and the center of mass of the leverwith a mounting block 74 that is journalled on a pivot pin 76 which istransversely fixed between the opposing rearward legs 26. The endportion 72 of the lever which is the end portion to the rear of thefulcrum 76 carries an apertured lead counter-weight 78 which is slidablyadjustable on the lever, the weight having a central, longitudinallyextending bore 80, slidably receiving the lever and being provided witha hand set screw 82 extending through one side of the weight tolockingly engage the lever so as to lock the weight in selectedpositions along the longitudinal extent of the lever end portion 72,depending upon the size and weight of the ball elements 18.

The opposite end of the lever 70 carries a fixed ball receiver 84 whichis in the form of a square block arranged perpendicular to the lever andattached at one.

slidably positioned in a bore 94 formed in the bottom wall of thereceiver. The ejector rod is freely slidable in the bore 94 and has aninner end provided with a transverse head 96 that constitutes a falsebottom for the pocket 86. The outer end of the rod terminates in atransverse foot 98 which is adapted to strikingly engage a striker plate100 fixed transversely on the base across the runway 16 adjacent thefront end of the base, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The bottom surface 14 of the base is provided adjacent the front end ofthe base with depending legs 102 which are adapted to seat on ahorizontal supporting surface 104 along with the rear end portion 106 ofthe under surface of the base, as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the base issecurely mounted on a horizontal supporting surface 104 in a slightlyinclined position extending slightly downwardly from the front to therear end thereof.

A rebound channel or trough plate 108 is pivotally fixed by pivot pins110 to the sides of the base adjacent the front end and is adapted to bepositioned at various angles relative to the base. A collection tray 112is pivoted by pivot pins 114 to the sides of the base at the rear endthereof and has its interior covered with a felt cloth 116 or similarcushioning liner. The collection tray 110 is normally disposedhorizontally in its working relationship with the base as shown in FIG.2, while the rebound tray 108 is disposed in an angular positionrelative to the base such as that shown in FIG. 2. During transportationor storage of the device 10, both the rebound trough 108 and thecollection tray 112 can be swung into angularly inturned orperpendicular positions with respect to the base so as to reduce theoverall length of the device.

Before actual operation, which can best be appreciated from aconsideration of FIGS. 5A to 5D, the ball elements 18 are loaded in thetube 34 and the forwardmost ball element 18a is directly captured orrestrained by the arcuate under surface 62 of the head portion 58 of thecatch member 52. The catch member is held in the position shown in FIG.5A by virtue of the engagement thereof by the receiver 68 which is heldup by the counterweight 78. In such held position, the catch memberserves as a guard to block and restrainingly hold the line of ballelements against movement.

The device is then placed in operation by applying a slight upwardmanual pressure on the weighted end portion 72 of the lever 70 whichcauses the receiver to move away from the catch member. With the holdingpressure removed from the catch member, as the receiver end of the levermoves slightly away from the catch member, it swings about the pivot56-, since the mass of the body portion and tail portion are disposed onthe same side of the pivot 56, and swings downwardly in a clockwisedirection, moving the tail portion into a substantially perpendicularposition, as shown in FIG. 5B. In such position of the catch member 52,the interior arcuate pocket portion 66 is in receptive registery withthe line of ball elements and gravitationally receives and contains theinitial ball element 18a. It is to be noted that the distance from thepivot 56 for the catch member 52 to the edge 42a of the dischargeopening is smaller than the ball element and in no event can the ballelement drop therethrough. Upon the return movement of the receiver,under the weight action acting on the short end portion 72 of the longlever, the upper wall of the receiver will strike the free extremity ofthe tail portion 60, as shown in FIG. 5B, and will move the catch memberin a counterclockwise direction, thereby moving the body and headportions upwardly and causing the head portion to dump the ball element18a into the pocket 86 of the receiver, as illustrated diagrammaticallyin FIG. 5C. The catch member will swing back into the position of FIG.SE to receive and retain the next succeeding ball element in its pocket64 while preventing the line of ball elements from leaving the chuteuntil the receiver returns to strike the tail portion.

The receiver 86, which is overweighted by the contained ball element"18a, overcomes the weight of the counterweight 78 and the receiver endof the lever starts to descend towards the upper surface of the base. Asthe receiver approaches the base, the foot portion 98 of the ejector rod94 strikes the striker plate 100 and moves the rod 94 upwardly in thepocket with the false bottom 96 being moved upwardly in the pocket toeject the con tained ball element 18a, as shown in FIG. 5D. The ballelement, as it is ejected or expelled from the receiver pocket, impingeson the upwardly inclined rebound tray 108 and is given a rolling impetusso as to travel down the return runway 16 into the interior of thecollection tray '110.

The lever 70 will continue in its seesaw action to effect release of oneball after another from the chute tube 34 and to transfer the releasedballs to the base with the ball retained by the receiver in its loweringof the balls being automatically ejected therefrom. Such operation ofthe device 12 will be a continuous one that will delight onlookers asthey watch a ball element being repeatedly brought down from the chuteassembly and automatically finding its way to the collection tray.During the return of the ball elements to the collection tray or afterall of the ball elements arrive thereat, the ball elements can be singlyor collectively dropped back into the loading hopper 40 for the chuteassembly.

What is claimed is:

1. An amusement device comprising a base member adapted to be supportedon a substantially horizontal supporting surface, a chute assembly forspherical ball elements mounted above the base member and fixedlydisposed in an inclined position vertically spaced above the base memberand adapted to contain a plurality of ball elements, said chute assemblyhaving a bottom trough on which the ball elements roll and having anopen lower discharge end through which the ball elements are adapted togravitate, means operatively disposed at said discharge end forrestraining the ball elements from free falling movement from the chuteassembly and for discharging the ball elements in one by one fashionthrough the discharge end, a ball element transfer lever mountedintermediate its ends on a fixed horizontal axis located between thechute assembly and the base member with the lever being mounted for freevertical swinging movement in a vertical plane between the chuteassembly and the base member, a ball element receiver carried by one endof the lever, a counter-weight adjustably carried by the other endthereof, said counter-weight being operative to cause the receiver toengage and actuate the ball element restraining means whereby a ballelement is discharged from the chute assembly and deposited into thereceiver which then is overweighed to overcome the counter-weight andmoves toward the base member, said base member having a runwaylengthwise underlying the ball transfer lever and said runway having apivoted impact portion at one end in advance of the base engagingposition of the receiver and against which a ball element ejected fromthe receiver is adapted to impinge and said runway having a ball elementcollection means at the other end thereof, and means carried by thereceiver and operative in response to the movement of the receiveritself into a base engaging position for automatically ejecting a ballelement from the receiver and depositing it on the impact portion of therunway for travel on the runway to the collection means therebyunburdening the receiver which is moved back into engagement of the ballrestraining means by the counter-weight.

2. The device of claim '1 wherein said ball restraining means includes acatch member swingably mounted and bodily positioned in advance of thedischarge opening and having a head portion and a tail portion, a pivottransverse to the trough and lying therebelow on which the catch memberis swingably mounted at its head portion with the tail and mass of thecatch member on the upstream side of the pivot, said head portion havingan inner ball receiving pocket within which a ball is adapted to setwith the tail portion depending below the pivot and being adapted to bestruck and engaged by the receiver so as to move the ball containingcatch member about its pivot.

-3. The device of claimv 1 wherein said receiver includes a body portioncarried by the end of the lever and having an upper end wall, said bodyportion having a cup-like bore formed vertically therein and passingthrough the upper end wall for receiving and seating 21 ball released bythe ball restraining means, and said last means includes an aperturedbottom wall on the body portion, a rod freely slidable in the apertureand having a headed inner end disposed Within the bore and defining afalse bottom therefor and having an outer end having a transverse footportion, said foot portion being adapted to strike a part of the 'basemember to cause the rod to slide in the bore and eject a contained ballelement therefrom.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said collection means .is a pivotedtray and said impact portion is a pivoted rod seats to eject the ballfrom the receiver onto the impact plate.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said last means includes said receiverbeing formed as a ball receiving cup and having an open top wall intoand from which a ball element passes, said ball receiving cup having anapertured bottom wall and an ejector rod freely slidable in saidaperture and adapted to strikingly engage the base member as the ballcontaining receiver approaches the base member and be moved up in thecup to eject the contained ball element therefrom.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said ejector rod has a head portiondefining a false bottom for the cup and a foot portion adapted to impactthe base member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,244,457 10/1917 Bain 46421,392,727 10/1921 Welsh 46---42 1,478,350 12/1923 Okel 46-42 1,534,0974/1925 Wilhelm et a1. 46-42 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner D. L.WEINHOLD, JR., Assistant Examiner

